Shallow electrical protection device (GFCI, AFCI, and AFCI/GFCI) system and method

ABSTRACT

An electrical outlet receptacle including a circuit board defining a first plane and a solenoid having a central axis perpendicular to the first plane. The electrical outlet receptacle further including a reset plunger with a portion extending through the first end of the solenoid and axially movable therein, and an armature movable axially along the portion of the reset plunger extending through the solenoid. Wherein the armature includes a slanted projection configured to contact a cam surface of a slide mechanism and provide the downward force on the cam surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/698,690, filed Mar. 18, 2022, which claims priority to, and is adivisional of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/212,141, filed Dec.6, 2018, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/595,760, filed Dec. 7, 2017, the entire contents of both of whichare expressly incorporated herein by reference.

This application contains subject matter related to subject mattercontained in U.S. Pat. No. 8,830,015 B2 entitled, “COMPACT LATCHINGMECHANISM FOR SWITCHED ELECTRICAL DEVICE,” by Kenny Padro et al., whichis assigned to the assignee hereof, and the entire contents of which areexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments relate to switched electrical devices, more particularly tocircuit interrupting devices.

SUMMARY

Circuit interrupting devices, such as ground fault circuit interrupter(GFCI) devices, switch to a “tripped” or unlatched state from a “reset”or latched state when one or more conditions is detected. GFCI deviceshaving contacts that are biased toward the open position require alatching mechanism for setting and holding the contacts in a closedposition. Likewise, switched electrical devices having contacts that arebiased toward the closed position require a latching mechanism forsetting and holding the contacts in an open position. Examples ofconventional types of devices include devices of the circuitinterrupting type, such as circuit breakers, arc fault interrupters, andGFCIs, to name a few.

Many electrical receptacles have built-in ground fault protectioncircuitry, i.e., GFCI receptacles. Such protection circuitry and theassociated mechanisms normally take up a substantial amount of thephysical space within a receptacle housing, the size of which is limitedby the standard junction boxes in which they must fit. The embodimentsdisclosed in the present application attempt to solve these problems byproviding more compact devices, allowing for shallower receptacles andmore space for other elements and/or features.

One embodiment discloses an electrical outlet receptacle comprises ahousing including a face plate and a plurality of sensing cores eachconfigured to receive a current flow through a center cavity. Thecurrent flow defines a current flow direction through the center cavity,wherein the current flow direction is parallel to the face plate, andthe plurality of sensing cores are placed symmetrically in atranslational direction across the electrical outlet receptacle.

Another embodiment discloses an electrical outlet receptacle comprises ahousing including a face plate and a sensing core configured to receivea current flow through a center cavity. The current flow defines acurrent flow direction through the center cavity of the sensing core,wherein the current flow direction is parallel to the face plate.

Another embodiment discloses an electrical outlet receptacle comprises acircuit board defining a first plane, a set of fixed contacts, a set ofmovable contacts, a solenoid having a central axis perpendicular to thefirst plane, a carriage movable axially along the solenoid andconfigured to interact with the set of movable contacts, a lifting shelfslidably coupled to a slot in the carriage and movable in atranslational direction perpendicular to the central axis of thesolenoid, a slide mechanism coupled to the lifting shelf and movable inthe translational direction of the lifting shelf, a reset plunger with aportion extending through a first end of the solenoid and axiallymovable therein, and an armature movable axially along the portion ofthe reset plunger extending through the solenoid. The circuit boardincludes at least one contact pad. The solenoid includes a second endopposite the first end. The carriage is adapted to advance the set ofmovable contacts to form electrical communication with the set of fixedcontacts during resetting of the electrical outlet receptacle. Thelifting shelf includes a latching portion. The slide mechanism includesa cam surface to transform a downward force to a translational forceapplied to the coupled lifting shelf. The reset plunger includes anintermediate collar configured to engage to the latching portion of thelifting shelf. The armature includes a slanted projection configured tocontact the cam surface of the slide mechanism and provide the downwardforce on the cam surface.

Other aspects of the application will become apparent by considerationof the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aspects and features of various exemplary embodiments will be moreapparent from the description of those exemplary embodiments taken withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a receptacle incorporating theresettable switching apparatus of the application;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the receptacle of FIG. 1 , withthe front and rear covers and tamper-resistant mechanisms removed;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing a configuration of a set ofmovable contacts and a set of fixed contacts according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of the carrier assembly of thereceptacle according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4B is a front perspective view of the carrier assembly of thereceptacle according to another embodiment;

FIG. 5A is a front perspective view of the core assembly of thereceptacle;

FIG. 5B is a front perspective view showing a configuration of a sensetransformer core according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5C is a front perspective view showing a configuration of a sensetransformer core according to another embodiment;

FIG. 6A is a side perspective view of the core assembly of thereceptacle according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6B is a side perspective view of the core assembly of thereceptacle according to another embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an exploded front perspective view of a solenoid assemblyaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is an assembled front perspective view of the solenoid assemblyof FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of the reset plunger assembly andcarriage of the solenoid assembly according to one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is another side perspective view from a different angle of thereset plunger assembly and carriage similar to FIG. 9 ;

FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of the reset plunger assembly andlatching mechanism according to one embodiment;

FIG. 12A shows a two-piece latching mechanism design according to oneembodiment of the present application;

FIGS. 12B-12C show a one-piece latching mechanism design according toone embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of the solenoid assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 14A is a side perspective view of the solenoid assembly in aresting position;

FIG. 14B is a side perspective view of the reset plunger assembly andlatching mechanism of the solenoid assembly shown in FIG. 14A;

FIGS. 15-18 are side perspective views of the reset plunger assembly andlatching mechanism in progressive states during the resetting process;and

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the solenoid assembly in a resetposition.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a printed circuit board and coils of areceptacle according to some embodiments.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the printed circuit board and coils ofFIG. 20 coupled to a manifold of a receptacle according to someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Before any embodiments of the application are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the application is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangement of components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the followingdrawings. The application is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed or carried out in various ways.

As described herein, terms such as “front,” “rear,” “side,” “top,”“bottom,” “above,” “below,” “upwardly,” and “downwardly” are intended tofacilitate the description of the electrical receptacle of theapplication, and are not intended to limit the structure of theapplication to any particular position or orientation.

Exemplary embodiments of devices consistent with the present applicationinclude one or more of the novel mechanical and/or electrical featuresdescribed in detail below. Such features may include a compactlypositioned sensing core, a vertical solenoid, and a latching mechanismincluding a lifting shelf, a slide mechanism, an intermediate collar,and a cam surface. In some exemplary embodiments of the presentapplication, multiple features listed above are incorporated into oneelement whereas in other exemplary embodiments, each feature is distinctfrom one another and coupled to interact with each other. The novelmechanical and/or electrical features detailed herein efficientlyutilize the space within the device housing to provide more area foradditional features and/or components.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a GFCI receptacle 10 accordingto one embodiment of the application. The GFCI receptacle 10 includes afront cover 12 having an outlet face 14 with phase 16, neutral 18, andground 20 openings. The outlet face 14 also has a central opening 22 fora reset button 24 adjacent to an opening 26 for a test button 28. Rearcover 36 is secured to front cover 12 by screws (not shown orenumerated). Screw terminals 38 mechanically and/or electrically couplewires when wiring the receptacle 10. A ground yoke/bridge assembly 40includes standard mounting ears 42 that protrude from the ends of thereceptacle 10.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the GFCI receptacle 10 with the front cover 12,rear cover 36, and tamper-resistant mechanisms (not enumerated) removedshows phase terminal 30, neutral terminal 32, ground terminal 34, and acircuit board 58. The phase, neutral, and ground terminals 30, 32, 34are respectively configured to receive electrical plugs 35 of aconnecting electrical device, such as a power cord. The circuit board 58provides control and physical support for most of the working componentsof the receptacle 10. The phase and neutral terminals 30, 32 may bemovable, supported and energized through bus bars 44, 46, respectively.Bus bars 44, 46 act as cantilevered arms that support a set of contacts48. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3 , the set of contacts 48include a set of movable contacts 48A and a set of fixed contacts 48B.Bus bars 44, 46 respectively serve as cantilevered support for the setof movable contacts 48A while the set of fixed contacts 48B is supportedby a carrier assembly 8. This configuration may be reversed or changedin other embodiments of the application not described in detail herein.In various embodiments, an indicator light L may be included in the GFCIreceptacle 10 and configured to indicate the state of the GFCIreceptacle 10.

The resiliency of the cantilevered support provided by the bus bars 44,46 bias the set of movable contacts 48A away from the set of fixedcontacts 48B. A latching mechanism including a movable carriage,described in further detail in the following figures, is used to engagewith the set of movable contacts 48A, thereby pushing the set of movablecontacts 48A in an upward direction to engage the set of fixed contacts48B in a closed position during resetting of the GFCI receptacle 10.This upward movement of the set of movable contacts 48A also causescorresponding upward movement in the attached phase and neutralterminals 30, 32 closer to the front cover 12 of the receptacle 10.Electricity may then be delivered from an external power source to thereceptacle openings 16, 18, 20. In other embodiments, the resiliency ofthe cantilevered bus bars 44, 46 may bias the set of movable contacts48A toward the set of fixed contacts 48B, and a latching mechanism maybe employed in reverse to engage and hold the set of movable contacts48A away from the set of fixed contacts 48B in an open position duringtripping of the GFCI receptacle 10. The phase and neutral terminals 30,32 will likewise increase in distance from the front cover 12, therebyprohibiting the flow of electricity between the external power sourceand the receptacle openings 16, 18, 20. Various embodiments of thelatching mechanism may be used by various application designs, thedetails of each are not disclosed in detail herein.

Referring to FIG. 4A, in addition to providing structural support forthe set of fixed contacts 48B, the carrier assembly 8 also providesstructural support for a sense transformer core 50 and conductorwindings 52, 54. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 4B, the carrierassembly 8 may provide structural support for multiple sets of sensetransformer cores 50, 51, as described in further detail below. Variousplacements of sense transformer core(s) 50, 51 may be possible and willbe further described in the following figures.

FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of a core assembly 2 of the GFCIreceptacle 10 depicted in FIG. 1 . A solenoid 60 is oriented to define acentral axis A. Multiple sense transformer cores 50 may be stackedtogether and configured to receive a phase conductor winding 52 and aneutral conductor winding 54 through a common central cavity 56.Additional sets of stacked sense transformer cores 51 may be added tothe carrier assembly 8 (see FIG. 4B) to provide further measurements,such as arc fault measurements, to the GFCI receptacle 10. The phase andneutral conductor windings 52, 54 respectively direct AC current fromthe phase and neutral terminals 30, 32 through the central cavity 56,where the current may be measured for potential ground faults or arcfaults. The AC current flow through the central cavity 56 defines adirection B, which is perpendicular to the central axis A of thesolenoid 60. In the embodiment of FIG. 5A, the two sets of sensetransformer cores 50, 51 are placed symmetrically at two ends of thecircuit board 58 with current flow directions parallel to each other.This symmetrical placement allows less or essentially no interference ofthe sense transformer cores 50, 51 with the phase, neutral, or groundopenings 16, 18, 20, respectively. It would be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that other positioning configurations of the sets ofsense transformer cores may be possible and not exhaustively describedherein. For example, the current flow directions defined by multiplesets of sense transformer cores 50, 51 may be at an angle to each otherand both parallel to the circuit board 58. The angle defined by thecurrent flow directions may be acute, right, or obtuse. In anotherexample shown in FIGS. 5B-C, only one sense transformer core 50 may beincluded in the GFCI receptacle 10. The sense transformer core 50 may beplaced at either ends of the circuit board 58 and with variousorientations to allow less or essentially no interference with thephase, neutral, and ground openings 16, 18, 20.

Referring to FIGS. 6A-B, the solenoid 60 is coupled to a carriage 62that is axially movable along the solenoid 60. On one side, the carriage62 is coupled to a set of carriage springs 64, the compression force ofwhich distances the carriage 62 from the circuit board 58 in a restposition. On the other side, the carriage 62 is configured to engage theset of movable contacts 48A, which presses down on the carriage 62 whenin an unbiased resting position. During the resetting process of theGFCI receptacle 10, the carriage 62 will oppose the resiliency of theabutting set of movable contacts 48A to advance the set movable contacts48A in an upward direction and form electrical communication with theset of fixed contacts 48B. The upward movement of the set of movablecontacts 48A stops once electrical communication is formed with the setof fixed contacts 48B. During the tripping process of the GFCIreceptacle 10, the resiliency of the abutting set of movable contacts48A pushes the carriage 62 in a downward direction back to its originalrest position, thereby effectively breaking the electrical connectionbetween the set of movable contacts 48A and the set of fixed contacts48B. The downward movement range of the set of movable contacts 48A islimited by a stopping plane in the solenoid support structure 61. Oncethe set of movable contacts 48A hits the stopping plane or returns tothe unbiased resting position, push force is no longer exerted on thecarriage 62, thereby effectively halting the downward movement andlimiting the maximum range of movement of the carriage 62. Resetting andlatching of the GFCI receptacle 10 may be controlled by the circuitboard 58 that receives ground fault and arc fault signal inputs from thesense transformer cores 50, 51.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a solenoid assembly 4 of the GFCIreceptacle 10 according to one embodiment of the present application.The solenoid assembly 4 includes a reset button 24, a reset spring 68, asolenoid 60, a reset plunger assembly 6, a solenoid support structure61, and a circuit board 58. In some embodiments, the solenoid supportstructure 61 is coupled to the circuit board 58 and supports thesolenoid 60. When assembled as shown in FIG. 8 , the reset button 24 isbiased away from the solenoid 60 via the reset spring 68 as long as nopush force is exerted on the reset button 24. When a push force isexerted and subsequently released on the reset button 24, thecompression force of the reset spring 68 returns the reset plunger 66and the reset button 24 to an original resting position biased away fromthe solenoid support structure 61. Likewise, without an externallyexerted downward force, the carriage 62 is biased away from the circuitboard 58 via the set of carriage springs 64. The compression force ofthe carriage springs 64 returns the carriage 62 to an original positionbiased away from the circuit board 58 when external forces are removed.

Referring to FIGS. 9-11 , the reset plunger assembly 6 includes a resetplunger 66 with an intermediate collar 78 and an armature 70 that isaxially movable along the length of the reset plunger 66. The armature70 contains a slanted projection feature 71 that is energized by thesolenoid 60 through which the armature 70 extends. The slantedprojection feature 71 is configured to engage with the latchingmechanism, which is structurally supported by the carriage 62 and theset of carriage springs 64. The latching mechanism includes a camsurface 72 coupled to a lifting plate 74. The lifting plate 74 iscoupled through a slot 75 in the carriage 62, as shown in FIG. 10 . Thelifting plate 74 includes a latching portion 80 configured to receiveand engage the intermediate collar 78 of the reset plunger 66 duringresetting and tripping of the GFCI receptacle 10, as shown in FIG. 11 .A return spring 76 is coupled to one end of the lifting plate 74 and isconfigured to apply a compression force against one side of the carriage62.

Two exemplary embodiments of the latching mechanism are shown in FIGS.12A-C. In the two-piece latching mechanism design of FIG. 12A, the camsurface 72A is configured as a separate triangular plate coupled tochannels (not enumerated) in the lifting plate 74A. Additionally, a setof tabs 73A at one end of the lifting plate 74A is configured to engagewith edges of the cam surface 72A to transfer a translational force fromthe cam surface 72A to the lifting plate 74A. The return spring 76A ispositioned between the other end of the lifting plate 74A and one sideof the carriage 62A. The latching portion 80A is configured as the onlyopening in the lifting plate 74A and receives/engages with theintermediate collar 78.

In the one-piece latching mechanism of FIGS. 12B-C, the cam surface 72Bis integrated into the lifting plate 74B as one element. Since the camsurface 72B does not move independent of the lifting plate 74B, couplingmechanism including channels (not enumerated) and tabs 74A are notnecessary in the lifting plate 74B. The lifting plate 74B includes anopening 77B and a latching portion 80B. The return spring 76B issituated in the opening 77B and exerts a compression force between edgesof the opening 77B and one side of the carriage 62B. The latchingportion 80B is configured to receive/engage with the intermediate collar78. It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that otherdesign possibilities not detailed herein may serve to achieveessentially the same results and do not deviate from the teachings ofthe present application.

According to one embodiment shown in FIG. 13 , a contact spring 82 iscoupled to the bottom of the lifting plate 74. When in an unlatchedpushing state as described in further detail below, the contact spring82 will form electrical communication with at least one contact pads(not shown or enumerated) on the circuit board 58. This electricalcommunication will provide a communication signal and power from thecircuit board 58 to the solenoid 60, thereby energizing the armature 70and resetting the GFCI receptacle 10.

The GFCI receptacle 10 according to embodiments of the presentapplication has four different states: 1) unlatched state or trippedstate, 2) unlatched pushing state, 3) latched pulling state, and 4)latched state or reset state. During the tripped state of FIGS. 14A-B,the carriage 62 is in a resting position biased away from the circuitboard 58 via carriage springs 64, so the contact spring 82 (not shown)does not form electrical communication with at least one contact pads(not shown or enumerated) on the circuit board 58. The set of movablecontacts 48A does not engage with the set of fixed contacts 48B (notshown), and the receptacle terminals 30, 32, 34 remain biased away fromthe receptacle openings 16, 18, 20 via cantilevered bus lines 44, 46.Therefore, the solenoid 60 does not receive external power and is notenergized, causing the slanted projection feature 71 of the armature 70to bias away from cam surface 72 (FIG. 14B). There is no compressionforce in the return spring 76, and the engaging portion 80 of thelifting plate 74 is not aligned to receive the intermediate collar 78biased away from the lifting plate 74.

Once a downward pushing force is received on the reset plunger 66 from auser pushing down on the reset button 24, the GFCI receptacle 10 entersthe unlatched pushing state of FIG. 15 . In the unlatched pushing state,the downward force pushes the reset plunger 66 towards the lifting plate74 until the intermediate collar 78 engages with an upper surface of theengaging portion 80. Because the engaging portion 80 is misaligned withthe intermediate collar 78 from the previous tripped state, theintermediate collar 78 engages with but does not latch to the uppersurface of engaging portion 80. Thus, the downward force from theintermediate collar 78 transfers to the engaging portion 80 and thelifting plate 74, which results in downward movement of the carriage 62via the slot 75 (FIG. 10 ). This downward movement continues until thecontact springs 82 (not shown) form electrical communication with atleast one contact pads (not shown or enumerated) on the circuit board58. Upon contact, electrical power and communication is sent from thecircuit board 58 to the solenoid 60, energizing the solenoid on apositive half cycle of the input AC power and moving the armature 70axially along the reset plunger 66. Referring to FIG. 16 , the slantedprojection feature 71 of the armature 70 engages with the cam surface72, which translates the downward force to a translational forceparallel to the circuit board 58. Translational movement of the camsurface 72 also translationally moves the coupled lifting plate 74against the compression force of the return spring 76, thus aligning theengaging portion 80 with the intermediate collar 78. Referring to FIG.17 , the continued downward force on the reset plunger 66 applied by theuser causes the intermediate collar 78 to travel through the alignedengaging portion 80. At this point, the solenoid 60 de-energizes on anegative half cycle of the input AC power and retracts axially along thereset plunger 66, as shown in FIG. 18 . The compression force of thereturn spring 76 pushes the side of the carriage 62 and returns thelifting plate 74 and cam surface 72 back to the original position. Inthis original position, the intermediate collar 78 is once againmisaligned with the engaging portion 80. When the user releases thedownward pushing force on the reset plunger 66, the reset spring 68provides an upward pulling force on the reset plunger 66 andintermediate collar 78, thereby latching and locking the intermediatecollar 78 to a lower surface of the engaging portion 80. Hence, the GFCIreceptacle 10 enters the latched pulling state of the resetting process.

When the GFCI receptacle 10 is in the latched pulling state shown inFIG. 19 , the compression force of the reset spring 68 creates an upwardforce on the reset button 24 and the coupled reset plunger 66. Thisupward force pulls the intermediate collar 78 along with the latchedlifting plate 74, which is coupled to the carriage 62 via the slot 75,causing the carriage 62 to move axially upward along the solenoid 60.The axially upward movement of the carriage 62 opposes the resiliency ofthe abutting set of movable contacts 48A and disconnects the contactsprings 82 (not shown) from the at least one contact pads (not shown orenumerated) on the circuit board 58, thus preventing continuedenergizations of the solenoid 60. The carriage 62 engages with the setof movable contacts 48A to form electrical connection with the set offixed contacts 48B. Correspondingly, the receptacle terminals 30, 32, 34also resist the cantilevered bus lines 44, 46 and move closer to thefront cover 12. Once electrical communication between the set of movablecontacts 48A and the set of fixed contacts 48B is formed, electricitymay be delivered from the receptacle terminals 30, 32, 34 to thereceptacle openings 16, 18, 20 via the bus lines 44, 46. Hence, the GFCIreceptacle 10 is fully reset.

When the sense transformer cores 50, 51 detect the present of a fault,the GFCI receptacle 10 completes a tripping process. During the trippingprocess, the GFCI receptacle 10 experiences the states of the resettingprocess in reverse order, thereby unlatching the intermediate collar 78from the latching portion 80 and breaking the electrical communicationbetween the set of movable contacts 48A and the set of fixed contacts48B.

FIGS. 20 & 21 illustrate a GFCI receptacle 10 according to someembodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the GFCI receptacle 10includes a printed circuit board 90. In some embodiments, the printedcircuit board 90 includes one or more slots, or apertures, 92. Asillustrated, the slots 92 may be configured receive, or be placed over,line conductors 94 and/or the neutral conductors 96, or a portionthereof (for example, bus bars 44, 46). The printed circuit board 90 mayfurther include, or be coupled to, coils (for example, transformer cores50, 51), which may be used to sense and/or monitor a current. In such anembodiment, the coils may also include a slot, aperture, configured toreceive, or be placed over, the line conductors and/or the neutralconductors, or a portion thereof (for example, bus bars 44, 46).

In certain other embodiments, additional elements, such as springs,contacts, etc., may be included in various places within the GFCIreceptacle 10 to accomplish resetting or tripping of the device. Allcombinations of embodiments and variations of design are notexhaustively described in detail herein. Said combinations andvariations are understood by those skilled in the art as not deviatingfrom the teachings of the present application.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrical outlet receptacle comprising: acircuit board defining a first plane; a solenoid having a central axisperpendicular to the first plane; a reset plunger with a portionextending through a first end of the solenoid and axially movabletherein; and an armature movable axially along the portion of the resetplunger extending through the solenoid, wherein the armature includes aslanted projection configured to contact a cam surface of a slidemechanism and provide a downward force on the cam surface.
 2. Theelectrical outlet receptacle of claim 1, further comprising a carriagemovable axially along the solenoid and configured to interact with a setof movable contacts, the carriage being adapted to advance the set ofmovable contacts to form electrical communication with a set of fixedcontacts during resetting of the electrical outlet receptacle.
 3. Theelectrical outlet receptacle of claim 2, further comprising a liftingshelf slidably coupled to a slot in the carriage and movable in atranslational direction perpendicular to the central axis of thesolenoid, the lifting shelf having a latching portion.
 4. The electricaloutlet receptacle of claim 3, further comprising a slide mechanismcoupled to the lifting shelf and movable in the translational directionof the lifting shelf, the slide mechanism having a cam surface totransform the downward force to a translational force applied to thecoupled lifting shelf.
 5. The electrical outlet receptacle of claim 3,wherein the reset plunger has an intermediate collar configured toengage to the latching portion of the lifting shelf.
 6. The electricaloutlet receptacle of claim 3, further comprising a slide mechanismincluding a tab portion configured to apply a translational force to thelifting shelf.
 7. The electrical outlet receptacle of claim 6, furthercomprising: a contact spring coupled to the lifting shelf and movabletherewith, the contact spring being configured to send a signal when inelectrical communication with at least one contact pad of the circuitboard; and a return spring coupled to the lifting shelf, the returnspring having a maximum compression characteristic that limits movementin the translational direction of the lifting shelf.
 8. The electricaloutlet receptacle of claim 7, wherein pressing of the reset plungercauses an intermediate collar of the reset plunger to apply a push forceon the latching portion of the lifting shelf at least until the contactspring forms electrical communication with the at least one contact padsof the circuit board in an unlatched pushing state.
 9. The electricaloutlet receptacle of claim 1, wherein when in an unlatched pushingstate, the solenoid momentarily energizes, causing the slantedprojection to move axially along the reset plunger and contact the camsurface to provide a downward force, and when the solenoid momentarilyde-energizes, the slanted projection retracts axially along the resetplunger.
 10. The electrical outlet receptacle of claim 9, wherein whenthe electrical outlet receptacle is in a latched state, subsequentrelease of the reset plunger pulls a carriage to form electricalcommunication between a set of movable contacts and a set of fixedcontacts.
 11. The electrical outlet receptacle of claim 1, wherein thesolenoid includes a coil bobbin with an inner coil and an outer coil.